Miscreants & Misdeads
by ilovetvalot
Summary: Post-Ep for "The Eyes Have it". JJ and Garcia discuss the unit and the changes facing it.


**Miscreants and Misdeeds**

In all of her years on the road with the BAU, Jennifer Jareau had never been so happy to be back in her crowded office as she was at that very minute. Glancing around in appreciation at the cramped space, she dropped her oversized bag on the floor with a resounding thud, taking great pleasure in firmly closing the door behind her. The click as the knob met the jamb was the perfect icing on the perfect case.

Sliding around her desk, she settled herself in her chair, leaning her head back for a moment as she just relaxed, content to revel in the silence that surrounded her. This was what she had been missing. This was what her soul craved. This was exactly what the doctor ordered, as far as she was concerned.

But as much as she wanted to enjoy the moment, she also knew that she couldn't stay here forever. Glancing down at her watch, she mentally calculated the time she would need to complete those last few pieces of paperwork, and still have time to check out Penelope's great adventure, all before she needed to pick up her son from her nanny. Smiling automatically at the thought of her always happy child, she immediately reached for her bag, wanting to get the worst papers completed as quickly as possible so that she could get to him as soon as possible.

Twenty minutes later, she signed her last form with a flourish, the pen pressing just a little too hard on the final vowel as she took a small joy in beating that damn clock. Congratulating herself on the success, she mentally reminded herself that this was what a competent woman could accomplish whenever she wasn't dealing with a distraction at every turn.

The rapping on the door drew her out of her thoughts, though, and she sighed, knowing that the spell was about to be broken. Jerking her head up, she said, resigned, "Come on in."

The door opened just enough for a bright blonde head to poke through. Grinning at the sight of her best friend, JJ said with a relieved sigh, "You, my friend, are a sight for sore eyes. I thought you might be someone else."

Pushing the portal open just enough to slide her voluptuous body through, Garcia returned the smile as she raised an eyebrow. "Gee, Gumdrop, you sounded like you were about to have to endure twenty rounds of Trivial Pursuit with our resident genius. And I know for a fact that he vacated the building within minutes of getting here."

Leaning back in her chair, JJ shook her head as she muttered, "It's not Reid I'm worried about." Glancing up before her friend could say anything, she added, quickly, as she stood up, "So are you going to show me this miracle you managed to create? I can't wait to see it. Just tell me that you managed to stay within Bureau guidelines."

"Oh, Peaches, would I stretch those staunch little rules of yours?" Garcia asked, pressing a hand to her heart in mock horror.

"In a New York minute," JJ returned flatly, raising a brow at her friend.

Issuing an unladylike snort, Garcia grumbled, "You're no fun. But in answer to your earlier question, YES, I somehow restrained myself. No neon colors or strobe lights for our guy."

Silently thanking God for her restraint, JJ grinned as she pushed away from her desk. "Then lead the way, my fair friend."

Walking side by side down the long hallway, Garcia cast a sideways glance to her favorite media analyst. "You seem stressed, Gumdrop. Bad case?"

Sighing, JJ shrugged. "Long case," she corrected. "And too many changes in too short an amount of time. Everything seemed so off out there, Garcie."

"Explain yourself, Ladybug," Garcia chirped.

"For starters, Emily is still pissed about Morgan getting the top slot," JJ began.

"He DID have more seniority than her," Garcia said, automatically rising to Morgan's defense.

Shaking her head, her long blonde hair flowing about her shoulders, JJ confided, "I don't think it's got anything to do with Derek either way, Garcia. It could have been Rossi or Reid and she'd feel the same way. You know how she feels about Hotch," JJ reminded the other woman.

"True that," Garcia nodded. "She's had a thing for our Boss Man from day one. Too bad she won't act on it," she shrugged.

"Emily "Never Lose Her Cool" Prentiss? Doubtful. Besides, you know Hotch. He'd never start anything with another agent," JJ theorized.

"I don't know about that," Garcia drawled. "He's gotta be ready to get his groove back on by now, don't ya think? I mean, his divorce has been final for months."

"Maybe," JJ shrugged, "But it's definitely not something I want to think about," she continued with a shudder.

"Prude," Garcia accused with a teasing grin.

"Hey, eventually I'll have to work directly with Hotch again. Those are not the images I want in my mind while I'm trying to do it," she shuddered.

Laughing, Garcia prompted, "So, what else happened out there in Chiefs Land?"

"Well," JJ explained, "there was the tension between Hotch and Morgan."

"Tension?" Garcia asked curiously. "I thought Hotch handpicked Morgan for this little temporary promotion of his?"

"He did," JJ nodded. "Didn't stop him from dogging Morgan's moves in the field though. Although, in Hotch's defense, Morgan was a little out of his element."

"It was his first time, Jayje," Pen said softly. "It'll get easier."

"I know that. You know that. Now, if somebody would explain that to Derek, we'd be all set," JJ said, infusing her voice with a perkiness she didn't feel.

The sarcasm was not lost on her friend. "I take it that you got caught in the middle?"

"More than once," JJ grumbled, recalling the interference she'd spent three days running. "Luckily, that's one of the few times Rossi came in handy out there," JJ added grudgingly.

"Do I detect some tension there, as well? My super sleuthing nose is smelling something, Angelfish," Garcia prodded.

Rolling her eyes, JJ sighed. "Do you remember that time Gideon had to stay behind because he was on crutches and he decided that he really liked your office a lot better than his?"

Garcia shuddered at the memory. "Sometimes I STILL think I smell that Cantonese crap he liked to eat," she shuddered.

"Let's just say that I had a similar experience with Rossi," JJ replied, frowning. "And I didn't care for it. That man was on my heels every second of the day. Asking "why this" and "why that" about everything under the sun," JJ growled. "Don't get me wrong, I like Dave. I do. But there's a reason he's a field agent! It's bad enough having Spence underneath my feet because of his bum leg…but add Dave into the equation and I'm surprised a have a single strand of hair left. I should have pulled it all out by now!"

"So why was Rossi hanging with you?" Penelope asked in confusion.

"The party line is that he was working victomology with Reid. But, I strongly suspect he was trying to stay out of Hotch's and Morgan's dogfight," JJ surmised.

"Actually, that sounds pretty ingenious to me," Pen returned, a tone of admiration in her voice.

"I guess," JJ grumbled, "But, he's back in the field next case or I'm locking him in a closet somewhere."

Laughing as they reached Morgan's new office, Pen pushed open the door, "Voila!" she shouted enthusiastically.

Stepping inside and flipping the light switch on the wall, JJ was impressed. Tastefully decorated, Garcia had truly outdone herself. She'd had, in fact, managed to suppress her more eccentric tastes and pull together a patently masculine office. "Pens, you did great," JJ said gratefully, walking a circle around the office.

"You think he'll like it?" Garcia worried aloud. She so wanted her Chocolate God to be happy. And comfortable.

"I think he'll love it," JJ said, thoroughly convinced that between the two of them, they'd made the right decision.

"Maybe this will at least save him some of Emily's patented death glares," Garcia said hopefully. "I'm gonna go find my man, okay?"

Nodding, JJ smiled gently. "You did good, Penelope." Watching her friend all but float from the new office, JJ sighed as she leaned back against the wall. Hopefully, this was the first step in helping all her friends adjust to the new status quo. But, shaking her head sadly, she knew it would take more than this to put them all back on an even keel. Unfortunately, JJ was fairly convinced it was going to take a miracle.

Jennifer Jareau was tired of dealing with a team full of miscreants intent on performing every misdeed known to man. Fortunately for them, though, she still believed in there was hope for them all.

**_FINIS_**


End file.
